Art and charity. Tiffany also presented the Advent Calendar this year. The great jewelry Maison that became part of the LVMH empire dedicated the calendar preceding Christmas to New York, where it was born. The calendar is also inspired by one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Jean-Michel Basquiat, a black artist who died at the age of 28 in 1988 from a heroin overdose, whose work was recently presented in the About Love advertising campaign. . Basquiat’s 1982 painting Equals Pi is the central element and transforms the traditional countdown of the Christmas holidays into a canvas that highlights the same work featured in About Love.
The design is reminiscent of a cabinet de curiosity and reveals 24 Blue Boxes containing jewelery and Tiffany objects. Drawing inspiration from the visual language and subtext of Basquiat’s style, the calendar features design elements that pay homage to Basquiat’s artistic output. In the early years of his career, Basquiat painted on everyday objects such as windows, doors and refrigerators, recontextualizing them with cardboard, plywood and other materials. In homage to the artist’s use of unconventional supports, the white oak doors of the Advent Calendar are the ideal base for Equals Pi. Composed of mathematical equations, texts, figures, expressive gestures and symbols, the work exemplifies the raw but methodological approach of his art.
The charity aspect consists of the new partnership with Free Arts NYC. Tiffany will donate $ 250,000 to the organization from the sale of the 2021 Advent Calendar. The funds will support a number of programs that will give children in New York’s disadvantaged communities greater access to the creative arts. More details on the initiative will follow.
